The Economist profiles Investors' Council member Root Capital and their work to provide loans to smallholder farmers.

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"Root has been growing fast, especially since it beefed up its eight offices in poor countries. It has supplied its mixture of credit and technical advice to some 550 borrowers, mostly co-operatives that aggregate the harvests of smallholders. In February its portfolio of loans reached $100m for the first time. Later this year the cumulative total of loans it has made since 1999 should pass $1 billion."

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